Efficiency Pays In Choosing Study

OPINION

The School Board Needs To Heed The Findings It Gets - Even If It's Not What Members Expected To Hear.

August 15, 1993

No one will argue that an efficiency study may be the ticket to help the Lake County School District save tax dollars. In fact, most government operations could benefit by a competent analysis of their fiscal operations. Palm Beach County government saved millions after a study suggested doing away with some marginal services and consolidating others.

But Lake County School Board members should know exactly what they're getting into before they plunk down thousands of dollars for such a study, especially after they've already turned down offers from Leadership Lake County and an efficiency team from the state Department of Education.

Leadership Lake County would have done the job at a very nominal cost. And local school officials say the DOE efficiency team would have charged no consulting fee at all - only actual expenses incurred for such things as travel and lodging.

However, nothing but a private, ''impartial'' consulting firm will do for a majority of the School Board members. Leadership Lake County was dismissed because it apparently lacked the expertise and some of its members were in political opposition to the board's conservative majority.

The state DOE efficiency team was rebuffed because educational bureaucrats would be auditing educational bureaucrats. In the minds of the board majority, that's something akin to the fox guarding the hen house.

Here are some points to consider if a private consulting firm is hired to analyze the efficiency of the Lake County School District:

The study could quickly become more expensive than anticipated. While School Board members are thinking more in terms of $8,000 or $9,000, they should be aware that a similar study in Bay County - a school district approximately the same size as Lake - cost $80,000.

No matter what private consulting firm is selected, it's highly likely an expert in Florida's public education system will play a major role in the study's outcome.

Several consulting firms on the board's bid list were contacted by The Lake Sentinel and most said they would have to hire a consultant themselves who had expertise in the state's public education financing and school operations. ''Impartial'' as the selected firm's report might be, it likely would rely heavily on someone with years of experience ''inside'' the state's educational bureaucracy. That's something the board majority has said it wants to avoid.

School Board Chairwoman Pat Hart has indicated she wants to explore privatization of non-instructional school operations, particularly transportation.

This area is fraught with dangers of long-term consequence. The Duval County School District would dearly love to do away with its private transportation company, but having disposed of virtually all its buses and equipment, it's in no financial position to do so.

Lake school officials familiar with the situation in Duval report that at one point more than 100 of that district's buses were ordered off the road for failure to meet minimum state safety standards. What's more, Duval officials have lost control of the screening process on hiring bus drivers. Another point: private school bus drivers are free to strike over wages and benefits while public drivers aren't.

Lake's school transportation system consistently ranks in the top 10 percent of Florida's 67 counties in busing efficiency on a cost-per-student basis, so the board should be wary of any radical changes.

Finally, the consultant's report could come back saying more, not fewer employees and less equipment are needed if Lake's school district is to operate at maximum efficiency in creating the best learning environment for students.

DOE figures show Lake's administrator-to-student ratio is lean, especially when compared to other school districts its size.

Moreover, some departments in the Lake school system appear to be significantly understaffed, particularly data processing, purchasing and maintenance.

If the consultant's report concludes the system needs 10 fewer employees, there's little doubt the board would so order it. But what if the report says six or seven more employees are needed? It's questionable whether this board would authorize the additional hires.

The board's majority must make sure it's getting what it's paying for with this study and then be willing to act on it, even if the report doesn't corroborate some preconceived perceptions about the school district's efficiency - or lack of it.